A west Hull mum-of-three has spoken of the moment she stopped a teenager from taking her own life.

Tracy Hedges, 52, who says she has battled with her own mental health over the years and has attempted suicide several times, has spoken of the moment she saved the girl in a bid to raise awareness.

She says she saw the girl in distress moments before she tried to kill herself on Monday afternoon, but was able to step in and stay with her until emergency services arrived.

"The girl was so wound up and clearly distressed and wound up that I just had to do something," said Ms Hedges, of Boulevard. "I put my own mental health problems aside and went over to comfort her and try and stop her from taking her own life.

Read More

"I've got three daughters and she reminded me of my youngest, so I couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"I believe that I did a good thing and I was really proud of myself for helping out, as I really believe that I made a difference and saved her life.

Tracy wants more people to look out for one another (Image: Peter Harbour)

"I stayed around until the police arrived to take over, and there was another man that also came over to help us.

Ms Hedges has spoken out to try to raise awareness of suicide and to urge people to take more care to look out for one another. "Mental health issues are something that a lot of people suffer from, and I don't think that enough help is out there," said Ms Hedges, who also suffers from osteoarthritis, which makes it hard for her to walk and has resulted in her being forced to give up her job.

Read More

"I'd also ask for more people to look out for those that might be suffering - mental illness can't be seen like a physical illness and you can think that people are fine when they aren't, so just always try to ask and be there for one another."

'Ask for help and get support'

Almost 6,000 people took their own lives in 2017 and Hull and East Yorkshire Mind hope NHS England prioritises mental health in the future, and the organisation wants members of the public "ask for help and get support".

Mind’s head of health policy and influencing, Geoff Heyes, said: "Telling someone how you feel can be a relief, and might be a good first step towards getting help. If you don't feel you can keep yourself safe right now, or are unable to talk to someone you know, then seek immediate help.

If you need help

Samaritans (116 123)samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org , write to Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA and visit www.samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch.

CALM (0800 58 58 58) thecalmzone.net has a helpline is for men who are down or have hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find information and support. They're open 5pm to midnight, 365 days a year.

Childline (0800 1111 ) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill. PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal. Depression Alliance is a charity for people with depression. It doesn’t have a helpline, but offers a wide range of useful resources and links to other relevant information depressionalliance.orgStudents Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts. Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying studentsagainstdepression.org

"We know there are still issues with people getting the help they need. Despite improvements, services remain under tremendous strain, especially during the winter period.

"Anyone in a mental health crisis should be able to access timely and safe support, yet we are still a far cry from mental health services being at the standard we expect and deserve.

Read More

"When people are suicidal there must be a joined up approach to ensure people are kept safe. This is why it is so important that NHS England prioritises mental health in their long term plan due in the next few weeks."

Help from Mind

For advice about mental health, and where to go for support, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind’s information service is available during working hours, tel 01482 240133 or by emailing info@heymind.org.uk.

The charity also has drop in sessions every Tuesday between 5pm and 7pm and Thursdays between 1pm and 3pm at their offices at Wellington House, 108 Beverley Road for information, signposting and guidance.

Make a safety plan

A safety plan is a personalised plan to support you step-by-step at times when you may be thinking about suicide.

Your safety plan might include:

Recognising your warning signs

Details of your own coping strategies – what has helped in the past and what you can do to help yourself now.

The names and contact details of loved ones or telephone support services who can help in a crisis.

The names and contact details of professionals or agencies you can contact during crisis

Steps on making your environment safe and details of a safe place you can go to if you need.

Try to make a plan when you are well or able to think clearly about what you find helpful. You might want to complete the plan with a trusted friend or therapist and give them a copy to keep.

Watch: How to access mental health services

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

How do I keep myself safe?

Get safe right now

• Get through the next five minutes. Taking things minute by minute can help make things more bearable. Reward yourself for each five minutes that pass.

• Remove anything you could use to harm yourself or ask someone else to remove these for you. If you're in an unsafe location, move away.

• If you have a safety plan or crisis plan, follow it.

Distract yourself

If you are thinking of harming yourself, find self-harm coping techniques that work for you, such as:

Holding an ice cube in your hand until it melts and focus on how cold it feels.

Tearing something up into hundreds of pieces

Take a very cold shower or bath

Focus on your senses. Taking time to think about what you can smell, taste, touch, hear and see can help to ground your thoughts.

Steady your breathing. Take long deep breaths; breathing out for longer than you breathe in can help you to feel calmer.

Look after your needs. Avoid taking drugs or drinking alcohol as this can make you feel worse. If you can: get a glass of water, eat something if you are hungry, sit somewhere comfortable and write down how you're feeling.

Get outside. If you are feeling numb, feeling the rain, sun or wind against your skin can help you to feel more connected to your body

Reach out. If you can't talk to someone you know, contact a telephone support service or use online peer support such as Elefriends.

Follow us on Instagram - On the Hull Live Instagram page we share gorgeous pictures of our stunning city - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow Hull Live on Instagram.